| Good Morning Everyone, Our theme for this month: “Resilience” Our Bible verse for today: “He answered, “It is written: Man must not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Matthew 4:4 (CSB) Our thought for today: “Bible study and worship make you strong and resilient” I read a fascinating article the other day in the latest edition of Christianity Today magazine. The title was, “When COVID 19 Hurts, the Bible Brings Hope.” The subtitle was, “A new study shows scripture reading correlates with Harvard measures of human flourishing”. The article was about how researchers from the American Bible Society teamed up with researchers from the Harvard University Human Flourishing Program to study what impact regular Bible reading and attending church had on Christians during a time of crisis and extended trials (specifically, the COVID 19 pandemic). What they discovered was something that some of the Harvard people may have found surprising, but which committed disciples of Christ have known for two thousand years – Bible reading and church-going make a person stronger, happier, healthier, and more resilient. The authors of the study wrote, “The evidence shows that Americans who actively engage with the Bible and in corporate worship score higher on every measure of human flourishing, including better mental and physical health and a deeper sense of character and virtue. They even have a greater sense of financial and material stability compared to those who don’t attend church or engage with the Bible.” Additionally, Tyler VanderWeele, the Director of the Harvard program wrote, “The churches have an important and profound role in contributing to people’s well-being in general – and especially so during this time … People who attend church and read their Bibles tend to be happier, are less likely to commit suicide, and have a greater sense of purpose in their lives.” In Matthew 4:4 we read of the time that Jesus spent forty days and forty nights in the desert fasting and preparing Himself spiritually to begin his ministry on earth. At the end of that time, He was exhausted and famished. That’s when Satan showed up – at the very time He was weakest and most vulnerable. And that’s when Satan launched his attack. Jesus’ response is revealing and instructive. He informed Satan that although He was struggling physically, spiritually He was strong because He had fed His spirit on the words of God. Jesus recited scripture from memory, He worshiped, and He drew His strength from God. We need God at all times but especially during times like these. We need to keep ourselves immersed in the Bible and we need to participate in group worship. Doing so helps to make us strong. It makes us resilient. I encourage you to be faithful in your study of God’s Word, and I encourage you to participate in group worship. We at Oak Hill Baptist Church will be gathering for Sunday School this Sunday at 9:00 and for worship at 10:00. The worship service will also be live-streamed on the church Facebook page. I invite you to join us. Bible study and worship help to make us strong and resilient. God Bless, Pastor Jim |
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